Gone
by anistonbeckett
Summary: Castle AU. Kate Beckett is a recruit for William Bracken. She receives money in exchange of completing assignments. Her next assignment? Alexis Castle.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kate Beckett was ready. She was ready to get out of there. Be done with all her assignments and settle down. Find a nice apartment, apply for the NYPD, get a life. She wants what her dad thinks she has. She will. Soon. After this last assignment. She waits outside his door, thinking about what she's going to tell him. She hates talking to him in person. Usually she would just call him so he can tell her all about her assignment and he would send her the necessary information she needs to complete it but this time, she needs to speak to him face to face.

"Are you going in or do I have to throw you out?" The security guy right next to her looks her up and down.

She knocks three times.

"Come in."

She opens the door and steps inside closing the door behind her. He's wearing his usual suit and tie, reading some documents without looking up to see her face. He knows.

"Beckett."

"Sir, hi." She coughs nervously. She's always nervous when she's about to talk to him. He makes her nervous. "I was called just a couple hours ago, do you need anything, sir?"

"Yes. I have an assignment. It's a pretty big deal so you can't fuck it up, okay?" He looks up for the first time, meeting he eyes with a smirk on his face.

"Okay. Can I say something first?" She's looking down to the floor. See realizes this and looks up again.

"Of course."

"This is going to be my last assignment." She tries to look tough. She's not taking a no for an answer.

"Why not quit right now?" He starts playing with his pen. He's having fun.

"I need the money." She looks down to her feet again. Fuck.

"Aaah… That's right… Because I'm the one paying your dad's rehab… When is he getting out? In like , three weeks?"

"Two, actually, sir."

"You can call me William," He smiles. "come on, we know each other, I've trained you, I've taught you all you need to know about life, I know what you have been through, I've seen you come and go out of this facility completing assignments every fucking week because of your dad." He stops talking. She looks up to meet his eyes again. "Do you think he'll make it this time? Or will you just give up and tell him the truth?"

"No." She interrupts. "He will make it this time. I know it. This time is different."

"That's what you always say. I see you suffering, Kate." She quickly shoots him a look. "Sorry." He says putting his hands up in surrender. "No Kate in this facility."

"Sir—"

"William."

"Bracken, I need this to be my last assignment. I'm done."

"Okay. Fine. But your dad will eventually find out the truth." He sighs. "Either that or you come running straight to me because you need money."

"He knows everything about me."

"He doesn't know you don't own an apartment like you told him you did. He doesn't know you've been working illegally, under the table just to pay off his rehab. He doesn't know you've been investigating your mother's murder since the night she was killed. He doesn't know shit, Beckett. I do. And I hope you remember that when you're alone in your car, trying to sleep regretting this decision." He takes a breath. She doesn't move a muscle.

"You only need me because I'm your best option, but I don't need you cause you don't pay me enough for what I do."

"I don't pay you enough?" He looks around sarcasically as if he was looking for someone witnessing this conversation. "It's not my fault your dad sucks up all the money I pay you for your work, sweetheart. And if you didn't need me you would have quit a long time ago." Bracken takes the document he had in his hand and passes it over to Kate. "I think you're familiar with these faces. I want her."

Alexis Castle.

"Alone?" She knew he was going to come up to her eventually. She's been sensing his eyes on her for quite some time now. When she saw him enter the bar she wanted to leave, but she really needed a drink. Maybe tonight she got lucky and got to spend the night in a bed. She wasn't in the mood to flirt though, she just wanted to get right into it if it was necessary. But not with this guy. Anyone but him right now.

"Richard Castle," She smiles up to him. Oh those eyes, fuck he looks even prettier in person. "I would really appreciate it if you left me alone right now."

"Okay, fair enough." He leaves a couple of stools between them and sits down before ordering a scotch, looking back at her, he studies her. Long brown hair, prominent jaw line… he notices the papers she has tried to hide in her purse, important job, maybe? He wants to know more about her, wants to take his mind off his books for a while.

"Could you stop staring, please?" She shoots him a look before going back to her drink.

"I'm sorry, you're beautiful." He smirks.

"Seriously?" She scoffs. She needs to leave, can't have any contact with the father of her assignment, this is wrong. She picks up her purse, the papers almost falling out, she tries to put them back in but some of them fall. "Shit." She quickly stands from her stool and picks them up.

"Look I'm sorry, okay? I don't want to seem creepy, you clearly have some stuff going on…"

"Yes. I do. That's why you shouldn't bother women when you don't know them. Guys can go to a bar to get drunk but women can't?" She's about to walk out the door when she hears footsteps behind her.

"You're completely right. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry." She stops in her tracks when they're already outside the bar and turns around to face him.

"You're forgiven." She tries to smile at him, this is hard, being so mean and rude to strangers has always been hard. "Now you can go back inside and try to flirt with a woman that looks like she wants to be annoyed by a guy. Uncomplicated."

"I don't want uncomplicated." He smiles. "Come on, it will be good to unwind with a stranger."

"You're Richard Castle, I'm no one. I want to be alone." She says trying to make him understand. How the hell did they end up at the same place at the same time in this huge ass city? And why today?

"Okay, I get it, you want to be alone, but hear me out. We both have stuff going on right now, we don't know each other, we have the entire night and the entire city to ourselves." He looks hopeful. "Wouldn't it be nice to just live for one day? Not think about anything?." She takes a breath and a step back.

"I really, really wish I could. I really do. Maybe in a couple of years if we see each other again, we can have this night back, but today, of all days, Castle, I can't, I'm sorry." He looks down, obvious sad because all he wanted to do was have fun, find inspiration anywhere else that wasn't his whiskey bottle at home. "Go find another person to be what you need tonight. You'll find someone, this is New York, the night is young. Have fun while you can." She turns and heads to the nearest taxi. She looks back and finds him still staring at her. Can't do it. Won't do it. She opens the door and gets in.

She sighs and looks out the window. He's gone. Good. She gets out of the taxi and starts walking towards her car, where she'll be sleeping tonight. As always.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She can't do it. She's staring at Alexis from behind a tree, she's playing with another girl on the sand. She can't. She doesn't know what Bracken will do to her. He promised he wouldn't hurt a child, that he just wants justice and that this is the only way. Alexis is only 7 she looks like a really good kid, she can't take her. But the money. She needs these $20,000, half of it for her dad and the other half for herself, she has finally saved enough money to rent a nice apartment for at least 6 months, for when she's working with the NYPD, if they hire her. She hopes they do, she took the test the day before and she worked really hard for it and her physical went really well, for once she was grateful for Bracken's illegal police force training.

She was also watching Castle, she couldn't believe she was doing this to her favorite author, her mom's favorite author. In some way, she was really doing this for her, for her father too. Ugh. She hated this. She looked up from her dad's watch and looked at Castle. He was sitting on a bench talking to one of those MILFs, distracted, good, her plan would work. She started walking towards Alexis, making sure Castle wasn't looking, he would recognize her from the other night and that would be the end of the assignment, or worse, it wouldn't be.

"Hi!" She said to Alexis that was building a sand castle ironically enough. She got on her knees to start playing with her, blocking Castle's view.

"Hi! What's your name?" The kid answered happily.

"Kate, yours?"

"Alexis." She smiled. "Wanna play with us?"

"Actually," She whispered to her ear. "I have money for ice cream." Alexis opened her mouth as if these were the most exciting news she had ever heard and Kate laughed with her. "Wanna come?" She stood up and offered her hand.

"Wait. I gotta ask my dad." Fuck. She hadn't thought about that. She doesn't want to hurt the child, what now?

"Okay I'll wait for you over that tree, okay?" Alexis nodded and run towards her dad. Kate moved fast too, hid behind the tree so Alexis came over to find her. And she did just that. Kate looked over at Castle and noticed that he was again distracted with the other woman.

"He said yes! I told him you're a grown up and your name is Kate! He loves the name Kate!" Good. He probably thought she was a mom. Alexis held her hand and they walked over Kate's car. "Where are we going? I want ice cream!" Kate ignored her and opened the door for her to get inside.

"We're going somewhere even better." She smiled. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She wanted to cry. Alexis got in the car and Kate quickly got in the driver's seat and started driving to Bracken's facility.

"I forgot my cellphone to tell dad where I am." She hears the kid say sadly.

"You have a cellphone?" She asks trying to distract her.

"Yeah! Daddy got me one because he said I'm old enough now that I'm 7!" She sighs. She just wants to get over there so she can be done with this. She keeps the conversation going, distracting her so she doesn't ask too many questions. She hates this. Her mom taught her better than this. She can't believe she sold herself to former Senator William Bracken, when he told her she had amazing potential for his police force she got so excited, but it was understandable, she was 19, she has changed, and at the beginning it was all training, he paid her just for working out everyday! Until she got her first assignment. She will never forget her first assignment. She had to break into a Senator's home to get their laptop and she almost got caught. It was her fault, really, she didn't remember the Senator had a dog.

"…So then dad tied himself to a chair and couldn't go pee…" Alexis told her. They were almost there.

"Your dad sounds silly." She smiled looking at her through the rear-view mirror.

"He is! But I love him anyway." She laughed. She's so sweet. Why the fuck is she doing this.

They get to Bracken's and the kid is amazed. She doesn't blame her, the place is huge, she was amazed too the first time she drove past these front doors. She parks and helps Alexis out of the car.

"Where are we?" She asks innocently reaching to take Kate's hand. She accepts it smiling down at her.

"Well, I think they serve the best ice-cream here, we're at a friend's house." They walk inside and Kate's takes them to Bracken's door to the office. "Stay here with this man until I come out, okay?" She hands Alexis to the security guy that just looks down to her and nods to Beckett. Just when she was about to knock, she hears Alexis.

"Psss!" She's so small compared to the big security guy, she almost laughs. She mouths a "what" to Alexis. "He looks mean!" She tries to whisper looking at Kate and then at the big guy next to her. Beckett smiles.

"I'll be right back, don't worry." And she knocks and opens the door, closing it the moment she steps in.

"You brought her?" He asks standing up to walk to the door with her.

"Why do you need her." She blocks his way. He looks at her surprised. "Answer me."

"That is none of your business, Beckett." He whispers to her ear. "Now let me go get her."

"You promised not to hurt her."

"I'm not going to." He answers. Their faces are too close. She can smell his breath and she doesn't like this one little bit, but she needs answers.

"Why are you doing this to her. To her father."

"Why are you suddenly so interested in your assignments?" He asks.

"This one is different." She sighs. "Just tell me, please. Why them?"

"Richard Castle and I made a deal years ago. I would protect his public image, a.k.a his ultimate secrets, a.k.a cheating wife, crazy nights in Las Vegas with maybe or maybe not prostitutes… Stuff you don't know, and shouldn't know about, he would give me at least $10,000 every month, and he hasn't paid up in three months, so… This is the only way. He keeps ignoring phone calls, this is the next best way I know how to do business. I could kill his daughter but I'm not that cruel… She's 7."

"I'm aware she's 7. I just don't get why Castle needs his public image to be intact. And why you need so much money from him."

"Well, there's stuff you don't know about, of course, and you will never know. I told you the basics, you should be happy with that."

"What now?" She asks before letting him touch the handle of the door. He looks down at her.

"Now you leave. You told me you're done, right?" He smirks. She gets away from the door and lets him go. She watches how he takes Alexis' hand, she walks right behind them. Alexis turns around and smiles when she sees her. Bracken leads them to another door down the hall. They go inside. It's full of toys and there's a bed and clothes, and literally everything a kid could ask for. She's going to be okay. Bracken makes sure Alexis is playing with the toys when he turns around to look at Beckett. "See? Nothing bad is going to happen here. I just need my money and she'll be back home in no time."

"Okay. Good." She breathes in. "Can I stay with her? While we wait for Castle to call?" He doesn't look surprised. He chuckles.

"Why Beckett I didn't know you had a thing for kids."

"I don't. It's just her. I promised her ice-cream." He nods.

"They'll prepare it for you in the kitchen downstairs." He looks her up and down. "I knew you were going to be my best recruit, and you're not leaving." He suddenly opens the door, walks out and closes it behind him, locking the door.

Did he really just do that?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I should have known." He whispered to himself pacing around the loft. "I can't afford it anymore. I should—I should call him. Fuck!" He takes his phone in his hand and finds his number. He should have known. He should have been more careful, he knew he wasn't going to let him go that easily. Fuck fuck fuck fuck.

"Hello?"

"This is Richard Castle, can I speak with Bracken?"

"Hold on." He wants to scream. He took his daughter. Who the fuck does he think he is?

"Rick, what's up."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" He shouts at the phone. "You take my fucking daughter and you ask me what's up?!"

"Okay, Rick, look, we had a deal—"

"A deal that we both agreed on, on the contract it said I had three months for late payments, stop fucking around and give me my daughter." He should own a gun. Just in case. Fuck.

"Do you have my money?"

"Do you really need $30,000 right now?"

"Yes I do, Rick. Do you have it or not? Simple question."

"I have at least half of it." He closes his eyes praying it's all good.

"Not enough. I'm gonna hang up now, okay?"

"Wait! I can get you $20,000 by tomorrow." He hits himself in the head with his fist. He's so stupid. He doesn't have the money.

"Okay. Good. Bring it tomorrow you know where."

"How's Alexis." He has to know.

"She's okay. Not missing you. She made a new friend yesterday at the park."

"You kidnapped her friend too? What the fuck do you—"

"No! Well, yeah. Technically, I did. But she's a grown up don't worry. You don't care about her. Just bring me the money and you'll have Alexis back." Bracken hangs up.

He had to take money from Alexis' college savings account. He tries to convince himself he'll get it back eventually, before Alexis graduates high school. He's on his way to Bracken's facility. Last time he went there was to settle the deal, when Alexis was 1 year old. He had fucked up. Badly. And now he's done it again and he has someone else held hostage. He prays it's not because of him. He knows Alexis is okay, Bracken would never harm a child, even less someone like Alexis, God his sweet baby.

He gets through the doors and parks his car near the entrance, next to another one which means there's someone else settling a deal with him too. He takes the briefcase with him, opens the door to the huge house and lets himself in.

"Richard Castle?" One of the bodyguards asks him.

"The one and only." He answers.

"Follow me."

The big guy leads him to a familiar hallway, but the moment he thought they were going to turn to open the door to Bracken's office, the security guy keeps walking straight to the last door. He lets him in. Bracken is there. Playing with Alexis and some stuffed animals. And then he notices her. The "friend" Bracken mentioned, she's sitting down on the floor holding on to her knees, looking up to him. But he has no chance to say anything to her.

"Daddy!" Alexis screams standing up running up to him to hug him.

"Pumpkin" He takes her in his arms putting down the briefcase to hug her properly. "I missed you." He says into her hair.

"I missed you too." She smiles. "Take me down I wanna keep playing."

"Can't do, miss." Bracken interrupts standing up. "Your dad and I have to talk."

"Can I come?" She asks innocently.

"It's grown up talk, sweetie. You don't like those kind of talks." He makes a funny face to convince her he's telling the truth and she nods. He looks at the woman still sitting in the same position as before.

"Come on." Bracken puts a hand on his shoulder, urging him to get out of the room. He opens the door for him, he takes the briefcase from the floor and they get out. Bracken locks the door behind him. They get to his office. "Money." He simply says sitting down on his comfy chair, inviting him to sit down on the other side of the desk. Castle sits down and puts the briefcase on the desk, sliding it towards Bracken.

"Sorry for the delay." He says.

"It's not me who's struggling with writers block." He smiles.

"It's not me who has to go through all the process of a kidnapping to get some cash." Castle fires back.

"Oh I don't worry about that, that's why I have people to do the dirty work for me."

"Like that woman you have in there with Alexis? She seems miserable. What have you done to her?"

"Aaand that's all for today." Says Bracken ignoring his question standing up to show him the door.

"What have you done to her, William? You don't harm children but the moment they turn 18 the torture is justified?" He says standing up, too, to stand in front of him. They're the same height which is not convenient because he so wishes he was taller than him right now.

"She's not a teenager, she's a woman, and she's none of your concern, thank you very much." He doesn't seem affected by all the questions Rick is making. And it's bothering him. He stays silent for a second, thinking twice about what he's about to ask.

"Did you rape her?" Castle is looking straight into his eyes. They don't move an inch.

"No, Rick. I didn't rape her. She's just going through a tough time, that's all." He says.

"She's coming with me." He says this time not thinking twice about the words that are crossing his mind.

"What?" Bracken laughs.

"You heard me." Ricks says. "I will take good care of her, she needs help and you are just going to torture her for whatever information you need from her, so, I paid you $20,000, that should be enough for my daughter and the girl." He's confident in his decision; the more he speaks the more he's convincing himself he can help this woman for whatever Bracken has done to her. But he laughs at his face, for a good two minutes, until he calms down .

"Rick…" He giggles. "She's not something you can just buy." He says. "She works for me. I trained her and she wants to leave but I need her, Rick. I need her here, she's magnificent at her job and I can't let her leave."

"So you're just gonna lock her up every day of her life so she can work for you?" He shakes his head. "I'm taking her home, does she even have a home?"

"No she doesn't, but again, Rick, I can't let you do that."

"How about we make another deal." He says.

"Another deal?"

"No money involved in this one."

"I'm listening."

"I take her home, she lives with me, takes care of Alexis, lives a good life." He stops talking. Bracken looks at him.

"That's it?" He asks. "Na-ah." He shakes his head. "You take her home, okay, she takes care of Alexis, okay, but you bring her here at least once a week so I can give her her assignment and she can complete it in one day." Castle nods. "She doesn't get any money."

"What?" Castle asks taking a step back.

"You know how much money I've had to spend for her? She is so fucking expensive, Rick, she comes with a baggage, you don't even know, I had already decided not to pay her anymore, that's why she's in there. I need her, and I don't have the money to pay her anymore, I have new recruits coming this week and they are my priority right now."

"I'll take it. I'll take the deal. No contract, if anything happens, no one is at fault, deal?" Rick says offering his hand to Bracken.

"Deal." They shake hands. "You really are in deep shit with this inspiration thing, aren't you?" Bracken smiles.

Castle sighs turning around to the door to get his daughter and their new roommate.

 **Note from the writer:**

 **Thank you everyone for the reviews and follows and favs and all that stuff! Comments are appreciated!**


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